Vegan Shopping Challenge: A Vegan Friendly Winter Parka

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A few weeks ago, my trusty old winter parka of 5+ years gave out on me. Or at least, its zipper gave out on me. Heartbroken, I asked a few tailors how much it would be to replace the zipper, and they all gave me predictably high estimates. I know I could have talked to a few friends who are handy with a needle and thread (you’ll notice that sewing is not on the list of my own domestic skills), but the truth is that the coat was also pretty worn down from five NYC winters—a tear here, a frayed edge there, and so on. It was time for me to replace it.

Years ago, when I bought that coat, I was eating a vegan diet, but I wasn’t (at least not by my own definition) living a vegan life. I still bought whatever leather and wool I wanted, whichever shampoo was cheapest and smelled the best, and generally failed to be conscious of animal suffering in my small, everyday decisions. Today, my veganism has evolved from a diet to a lifestyle—a world view, really—and my choices as a consumer are shifting as a result. I’ve written about this before—here and here, notably—but it’s a constant process of growth and adjustment.

Case in point: my first winter parka shopping expedition as a vegan. I, like most people, have always worn winter coats stuffed with goose down. Goose down is by definition not vegan, but if you’re wondering—as my mother innocently did—what sorts of suffering are involved in its production, you can check out this link or this video. At the least, they’ll show you that you may know far less about the practices behind your favorite winter coat than you think. So I knew I wasn’t buying a down coat again. What I wasn’t sure of was how to go about finding a vegan parka that would be cruelty-free and slightly warmer than my beautiful Vaute Couture parka. That’s where things got complicated: it’s remarkably difficult to find winter coats that offer heavy insulation without down. Difficult, but not impossible. Here’s what I learned from a few helpful internet resources, including this invaluable article.

The main synthetic materials that are substituted for down are Primaloft (used by Patagonia, Eddie Bauer, and The North Face), Thermal R (used by Marmot), and Omniheat (used by Columbia Sportswear). Of those, Primaloft is easiest to find and search for: I had the best luck by simply going on various company websites and doing a search for it. You should get a bunch of results, and within those you can search for a jacket that suits your taste and needs. Some of my favorites as I was browsing included:

Columbia Women’s Black Diamond Dash Parka

Diamond

Columbia Women’s Frosty Forest Parka

frosty forest

The North Face Redpoint Jacket

redpoint

The North Face Women’s Quimby Insulated Jacket

Women's Quimby

Patagonia Women’s Nano Puff Jacket

Nano Puff

LL Bean Ascent Hooded Jacket

Ascent Hooded

LL Bean Rugged Ridge Parka

Rugged Ridge

Eddie Bauer WeatherEdge Girl on the Go Trench

weatheredge

All of these are labeled as having been made with synthetic down, but I do strongly recommend you call the company before you purchase to ensure that there’s no leather or down anywhere—that’s what I did as I was exploring. (And vegans, if I’m wrong about any of the coats above, forgive me—I may have missed or misread something here or there, but again, I’d have called the maker before pressing “buy.”)

After a lot of price comparison, the jacket I settled on was this: the Land’s End Insulated Squall Parka:

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So far, it’s keeping me safe from NYC’s chilly winter winds, but without the cost of animal suffering. I’m so glad I bought it.

This shopping experience was a very good example of how being a vegan consumer isn’t always the easiest route. To be honest, I could have found a parka that was slightly more fashionable than the one I got, and for a lower price (though Land’s End’s sale prices are really reasonable). It would have looked a little more like the other sleek black “poofer” coats that fashion savvy NYC women count as their late January uniforms. It would have been easier to find, and I would have had many more options. But in my experience, being a conscious consumer is usually a little tougher than not. Organic produce is more costly than conventional; high quality vegan supplements are more expensive than regular ones. Vegan apparel is often less fashion forward than regular women’s apparel, and few of my favorite clothing designers are particularly attuned to animal suffering, so I often have to forgo buying their clothing nowadays. Vegan leather is shiny looking, and not always to my taste.

But guess what? Sometimes these little hassles are a part of being vegan, and that’s fine. When I became vegan, I knew that there were certain foods that I would temporarily miss; I knew that there would be dinner parties and cocktail parties where I had very little to eat; I knew that I’d face social situations that felt awkward, or wherein I’d run the risk of being perceived as “high-maintenance.” This all turned out to be true, and it didn’t matter at all. Being vegan allows me to live in harmony with things I believe, and that makes any little nuisance worth it. And just the way I no longer miss Greek yogurt or cream in my coffee, it’s also becoming increasingly simple for me to wear pleather without cringing, or forgo a new wool hat in favor of a synthetic one, or rock my imitation Uggs rather than the “real thing.” I just don’t care about those little details of fashion savvy anymore; knowing that animals aren’t being harmed for the sake of my wardrobe matters a whole lot more. Keeping in step with the values we care about—be they vegan values or any others—isn’t always simple. But it’s always worth it by a huge margin.

And now, I know a heck of a lot about synthetic insulation. If you, my readers, have more tips to share about winter wear, please do! I’d love to hear about how you all stay toasty in the winter while also showing compassion for geese, sheep, and other animal friends.

Finally: I’ve mentioned already that tomorrow and Thursday will bring my first set of post-bacc midterms. To save myself a little stress, and to treat you all to some great content, I’m having two fabulous CR guest posts. Tomorrow, my friend Matt—vegetarian marathon runner, blogger, and health enthusiast extraordinaire—will treat you to a post on vegetarian athletic performance. I am not an educated athlete and don’t much write about fueling on a vegan diet, so I can’t wait for you all to hear some of his wisdom.

And on Thursday, my friend Elise, who is a cardiac nurse, will share some thoughts on medicine, diet, and “magic” cures that I asked her for a long time ago. I love discussing intersections and tensions between diet, lifestyle, science, and the medical world, obviously, so I’m really looking forward to this.

And I’ll see you all on Friday!

xo

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    61 Comments
  1. I’ve been looking into this for a while. Uniqlo has a few vegan options, as does North Face. But the Uniqlo stuff is not very warm, and North Face is Pricey!

  2. Thank you so much for writing this! After looking for a long time at coats (down) I realized that getting a down coat would be a pretty awful thing. Your blog was the first thing I clicked on when searching for info on vegan coats. I ended up purchasing the Eddie Bower trench in eggplant. I’m super excited to get it and super excited not to have to research this anymore! Thanks!!

    • Katie, I wrote that post years ago, and I still cherish that Eddie Bauer coat! Hope it keeps you nice and warm.

  3. You live a vegan lifestyle. Sure lets not use animal products. But you wear clothing that humans made in unfair work conditions. Sweatshops harm and kill people who have no choice but to work in them. Way to put animals above your sisters and brothers in our world.

  4. Thanks.
    I have the same problem. It is very difficult to find a cruelty free winter coat here in Toronto. I am a man so unfortunately, those coats don’t work for me but I appreciate that I am not alone with this problem.

  5. Thank you so much for this post. The coat that I bought 10 years ago does not fit me anymore and doesn’t keep my body warm enough. So, here I am 10 years later and taking on the vegan lifestyle. My google searches were proving to be very difficult, until I came across your blog posting! I had no idea what PrimaLoft was until now 🙂 I believe I found the coat for me. Although it’s pricey, I figure this is an investment…not just for a good quality coat, but also an investment into this vegan movement.

  6. First thank you for this – being allergic to down and wool means I have to look for something that would fall into this category however I am not nor do I live a vegan lifestyle but I do live a socially and environmentally conscious lifestyle. What i do find interesting here is that you are so very concerned about the materials that you would go to the effort of calling to find out if something is missing on the label – however did you ask how it was made and by whom? I find it incredible that you would be so concerned about the ingredients but have no regard for the fact that this could have been made in a jail – or worse by child or slave labour or by people such as those in the Rana Plaza tragedy whose working conditions cost them their lives. i truly believe some of you need to recalibrate your compass it is so very off.

  7. i just kind of stumbled onto your blog while looking for a down alternative winter coat. i work outside in the oregon snow all winter, though, seriously, new york city winter weather is tough! (i grew up in Manhattan) thank you so much for all the information you have gathered. you a such a good soul. as a more recent vegan person, i spend more time thinking about how to travel yummy food than fashion. i have a friend who takes his mom to Red Lobster and brings his own salad dressing and tofu to put in his salad! i too have kind of given up on being a fashionista in favor of compassion. it’s a journey and i’m doing fine. i like me. and i am so happy to have found another compassionate, courageous soul. thank you again. i’ll be around. peace out! diana

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  10. Very nice to be vengan and respect animales, I am very fond of every creature in natura. But sintético are by no menas a godo idea, they take centuries to dissapear from our planet. I would rather have a goose dead than polute the planet with synthetics. Sorry my english si very por.

  11. Thank you so much for this!! I’m moving to a cold climate for the first time in my life! this guide is going to be a life saver

  12. I also found this company called Lolë, which is a company based out of Montreal that has a commitment to the environment that includes manufacturing only vegan products. I’ve translated part of their mission book from French into English:

    We love nature more than anyone. We live there, we work there, we play there. This is why using resources in a responsible fashion has always been part of our priorities. We employ renewable resources and we reuse a large quantity of recycled materials in the creation of our clothes. Our cultured cotton is produced by a biological process in which we turn recycled plastic bottles into polyester fibers. We are proud of contributing to the preservation of the beauty and goodness of nature, both for our families and for yours.

    Check out their fashionable vegan coats: lolewomen.com

    • I just checked out their website. Looks really cool & a lot of nice clothes however, it’s not strictly vegan. I’m currently looking to purchase a gevan winter coat & some of their winter coats have REAL fur. not sure if the others have down or not, I’ll call the company tomorrow, thanks for the info

  13. My biggest issue has always been winter shoes. This year I started out, as I always have, with the cheap ones after I made sure they were completely synthetic. The soles were thin, and this has been a cold winter in Oslo with temperatures below -30C/-22F. I guess I don’t have to say how cold my feet has been. It didn’t take long either before my feet got wet. So I caved in, went online and bought Vegetarian Shoes’ snuggies (alongside with some sneakers for the spring and sandals for the summer) – and I am so happy I did. They are super quality,comfortable, thick soles, very warm and most of all completely made without animal products. There is no point in buying cheap shoes if they don’t even last one season.

    Thank you for you insightful article – it’ll help me further when buying clothes

  14. One thing that I’ve found that I prefer the vegan version of is purses! The fashion forward ones can be so much cheaper than the leather ones.

  15. I hear ya! I spent weeks looking for vegan snow boots – it was TOUGH. Everything was insulated with wool or down or covered in some kind of fur. All the really cute stuff was cruel stuff too. I finally found a pair of sorrels, but it took some work and they said that the glue used may or may not have animal in it. The remainer was vegan so I went with them.

    I feel much better wearing them then leather or wool though!

    Thanks for brining vegan shopping into the light!

  16. Great post, shopping vegan has been my biggest challenge since going vegan. Currently I’m using old coats I’ve had since pre-vegan days and a few light vegan jackets for less cold days. But next year I’ll probably need to invest in a new vegan jacket so thanks for the links! Veganaurus has also been helpful with vegan fashion posts.

    Avoiding leather and other animal products in fashion hasn’t been bad for me yet, but finding decent fair trade products has been a challenge.

  17. This is so interesting! I am coming up on my 1-year anniversary of switching to a high-raw vegan diet (happens to coincide with my 36th b-day at the end of March). I initially made the switch as the next step in my quest towards optimal health and wellness – a journey which spans the last 4 years.

    Though I was peripherally aware of animal suffering, it really didn’t factor into my decision to adopt a vegan diet. Interestingly, over the past year, I think I’ve become much more open to learning about the side of veganism that tries to address animal suffering and find myself thinking more about the consumer choices I make. I can see that as the next step in my evolution over the coming year.

    Thank you for your thoughtful and informative posts – I really look forward to reading them, and I’m learning so much!

  18. Sometimes, when you don’t want to do all the research, you can just go with an ethical company, like Patagonia (versus Lands End). Personally, I don’t find the Patagonia Primaloft jackets warm enough. But it’s such a good company, I’d feel confident buying from them that the environmental and human rights issues had been vetted at the corporate level. And I guess with Patagonia, you can layer. So you could buy one of their cozy fleece jackets to wear under the Primaloft. So, while I wear down, just because only an Antarctic expedition parka can keep me warm, I do think there are parkas out there that both vegan and cruelty free. But, one does not go with the other, and it’s important to keep in mind, if we care about the environment and human rights as much as we care about the animals.

      • Most fleece is acrylic or polyester. Traditionally I think it came from beaver or some kind of small trapped animal, but the cheap stuff you see made into clothes or craft items is synthetic.

  19. What a great post, Gena! I’ve found it can be a little more difficult to be a conscious consumer and find vegan clothing and accessories. A few weeks ago I just found a great certified vegan “leather” purse that is the best purse I have ever owned. I found it at TJ Maxx so it was also friendly on my wallet 🙂 Every time I look at or use the purse I am so glad that I found something that I think is cute but is also cruelty-free.

  20. Those jackets are HOT! And hopefully they keep you from getting cold. (Too much? Likely.)

    PS–Another ode to you and the inspiration I draw from your eating habits in my post today. You, Mama Pea and SnackFace. But you were my first food blog love, so that’s got to count for something.

    PPS–QUESTION: Did you ever post about Natalia Rose and her books? I’ve read all of your archives but I can’t remember off hand. If not, what do you think of her (if anything)? This last question probably should have gone in an email…It may yet..!

  21. I bought my first vegan coast last winter and bought one from Land’s End too! I absolutely love it, it’s extremely warm and I wear it everyday.

    I kind of like the challenge of finding awesome vegan alternatives for clothes, shoes, bags, etc. Except right now I am trying to find affordable vegan boots for my boyfriend and it’s a pain in the arse.

  22. I’ve found some good winter apparel options at Patagonia, North Face, Gap, and LLBean. May I ask where you found your synthetic Uggs? Good luck with midterms!

  23. I hope you don’t mind, but I totally have to chime in a bit here. It is really frustrating when veggies describe their choices as ‘cruelty free’ only because they are vegan, when honestly they are frequently not.

    Starting with the ‘cruelty free’ synthetic material you chose to replace the down. Thermolite, made by Dupont.

    Nothing from Dupont (the maker of thermolite, which is one of the main materials in your coat) should be labeled ‘cruelty free’! Dupont is the 3rd largest chemical company in the world, one of the largest corporate polluters in the world, and the leading air polluter in the entire USA. They invented CFC’s for pete’s sake!

    Thermolite, specifically, is a toxic material that ravages waterways, causes cancer clusters in humans, and devastates aquatic life whenever it is dumped into rivers and lakes, which happens with Dupont all the time. (for only a start – Deepwater, New Jersey; Pompton Lake, New Jersey; DeLisle, Mississippi; Delaware River, Carteret, Linden, Sayreville and Greenwich.)

    In the 2001 Toxic Release Inventory DuPont said that it released 13,863,356 pounds of dangerous toxic chemicals. That puts Dupont in the 90th percentile of dirtiest corporations in the whole of the US. Dupont is also one of the top dioxin producers in the world. Dioxin is one of the most hazardous chemicals of all, and they produce more of it than almost anyone!! To run its factories Dupont draws tens of millions of gallons of water A DAY from underground aquifers, which destroys the environment, which you better believe definitely kills animals. Cruelty free?

    Land’s End has a very sad human rights and worker’s rights record, no matter how much they try to deny it or cover it up. The blacklisting of union workers in South American free-trade zones, the slave wages, the child labor, unsafe working conditions…the list goes on and on. ‘Typical’ slave labor and sweat shop practices that wreck communities every where. Cruelty-free?

    Buying a down coat contains cruelty, just the same as your new ‘vegan’ coat. Neither option would fulfill your cruelty-free requirement, to be totally honest about it, because living on this earth always causes others’ lives to be affected, after all! But one coat is sustainable and from a completely renewable ‘resource’ and can easily be crafted without poisoning our planet (and has been for millenia), while the other coat is built by exploited workers with chemical poisons that kill animals and destroy our environment and cause cancer and birth defects in communities where factories are situated. I just have to tell you vegan doesn’t mean cruelty-free, not by a long shot. Thanks!

    • Hey, David. Imagine if she bought a DOWN coat from LAND’S END? How cruel would THAT be!

      You make some valid points about the damage of synthetics, but then you say something like this:

      “But one coat is sustainable and from a completely renewable ‘resource’ and can easily be crafted without poisoning our planet (and has been for millenia).”

      Seriously? Raising and killing DUCKS to provide insulation for the clothing of millions of people is “sustainable”? Sorry, man. It isn’t.

      • No one is saying that every single person on the planet needs to wear coats made from animal products from a factory farm. Obviously not.

        What I was trying to make clear is that veganism does not equal cruelty free. And while it can mean that there are no animal products used to craft the final product, it usually doesn’t even mean that no animals were killed in the process. In the production of Dupont’s toxic materials our environment is demolished, entire ecosystems are ravaged, which absolutely leads to the deaths of animals. Many of them.

        It should be quite clear that the production of coats from animal products like down, when properly managed and done on a reasonable scale, can easily be sustainable and not have an averse impact on their local ecosystem. In fact, this has been the case for much of our history.

        It should also be quite clear that the production of coats from deadly poisonous chemicals CAN NEVER BE sustainable on ANY scale or in ANY way. Never. There is no level of industrial toxic chemical production that can ever be compatible with life.

        We have 2 scenarios. 2 coats. Both contain ‘cruelty’, if cruelty is defined as involving the deaths of animals. But one coat kills animals in a way that causes minimal damage to the environment and involves completely renewable ‘resources’. The other coat kills animals in a way that demolishes entire ecosystems, wiping out whole species, and irreversibly impacting our planet in a terrifying way.

        • I understand your point about veganism not being completely cruelty free, but you also launched into some nonsense about how down is “sustainable,” when, considering the modern practices required to “deliver” this product to millions of consumers, it is most certainly not.

          I don’t disagree with you that synthetics are not damaging, but my point is that, in the 21st century, unless you want to “eliminate” an enormous chunk of the human population (or migrate them to warmer regions), there’s no way that manufacturing down on a large scale can be sustainable. Claiming that down can CAN be “sustainable” (for example, in the context of few geese being hunted for their feathers) is completely irrelevant to what is required in order to produce down coats for millions of people.

          YOU created the “other” scenario, but, as bitt says, there are other choices. On a small scale, let’s compare hemp and down instead.

    • there are fair-trade options for everyone for clothes. they tend to be quite expensive and that’s something we need to fix.

    • I think Gena’s aware of the conundrums, and refers to some of them in her original “cruelty free” post. There’s cruelty in all industrial production, which is why, with the exception of things like my computer and my cell phone, I’ll almost always opt for small scale. I’ll take my Canada Goose over Lands End, any day. But not everyone can put their whole paycheck toward a winter coat, so there’s that (huge) dilemma. Truly ethical options (and like you, I don’t consider “Lands End” an ethical option) are, for most folks, prohibitively expensive. As for Gena’s ultimate choice: she IS a vegan. Which means, as she weighs and measures her various commitments – to animal welfare, to human rights, to her own health, to the health of the planet, to say nothing of fashion – the animals will come first. I have to applaud her choice, even if it’s not the one I’d have made. Just because it’s always admirable when one can set some standards in life and then live up to them. So, you and I might buy Canada Goose because we don’t want to support Dupont, Lands End, etc. But Gena made a purchase in which no animals were killed or injured, and as more and more people make their purchasing decisions on that criteria, it brings the whole animal welfare issue into the light. And more awareness is always a good thing – even if I’m sold on down for life. Heck, you will catch me wearing down in June. I’m one of those “always cold” people. I do honor those geese though, I really do. And knowing the real price of my coat, helps me appreciate it all the more.

      • And my point remains: there are (at least) hundreds of millions of humans who live in climates which require insulated clothing. How many geese would need to be raised and killed to insulate the parkas of ALL of these people? “Small scale” wouldn’t cut it.

        So for those who think that veganism is choice of privilege, so is buying “local,” “small-scale,” or “sustainable” animal products. If everyone wanted that stuff, we’d have to build factories to keep up with the demand.

        Oh, wait…

        • Well, we can blame the so-called “green revolution” (for all intents and purposes a grain revolution) for the population boom that’s driving the demand for animal products of all kinds. If we’d stuck with traditional agricultural methods, maybe we’d all still be eating closer to home, and while there’d be WAY fewer of us, I can’t help thinking that would be a good thing. We could all wear down parkas, for one.

          • there would still be people who wouldn’t want to wear animal products. like me. hemp is sustainable and warm. people use recycled jeans to insulate houses. i have fleeces made out of old soda bottles. the right answer doesn’t have to be the one from an animal.

    • Because of the difficulty of finding vegan alternatives to down parkas, I have (in response to David’s comments) looked on the web to find out more about Lands End’s record. I found a mention of a dispute involving their supplier Primo, which had been resolved; Lands End did apparently sign on to the factory run by Just Garments, which unfortunately later folded. I also found a reference at greenlabor to Lands end working with the FLA. If Lands End is indeed involved in bad labor practices now, could David provide some site with information for readers?

  24. Thanks for the education! I haven’t looked into this issue much. I avoid buying any new leather, esp anything more than a tiny zipper pull, etc. And since I’m in San Diego currently I haven’t looked for insulation in a while! The last coat I bought was a used wool pea coat. Right now I feel like buying a used animal product is at least as ethically sound as buying a new synthetic product (considering both animals and the environment). Though I suppose it’s a failure to make a statement in terms of what I am wearing- though maybe not- I don’t think I would know your jacket was vegan from seeing it. I do have some rockin red vegan boots that I always get complimented on! I’d love to know what you, or other readers think about the used products!

  25. I would highly recommend checking out the brand Big Chill on Amazon (some of their stuff is on sale!) for a really awesome faux leather jacket. I bought one about a month ago and I absolutely adore it.

  26. Great post Gena 🙂
    As someone who works for one of the companies you mentioned, I can tell you that a move towards synthetic materials is a growing trend in our industry.
    My tip for keeping warm: layers, especially for the days you plan to stay outside.
    First, a base layer; this should be a material that will wick moisture. Next an insulating layer, a light-weight Primaloft filled jacket will work well for this. Finally, an outer shell that is waterproof and wind resistant (GoreTex is a common technology) will keep all the chills at bay.
    I hope you stay warm this winter in your new vegan-friendly jacket 🙂

  27. Ok I feel really bad right now after reading this part of your post…
    “whichever shampoo was cheapest and smelled the best, and generally failed to be conscious of animal suffering in my small, everyday decisions. ”

    Things like shampoo and lotion and household cleaning products are pricey and I don’t buy based on vegan or not.

    I buy based on efficacy/how well they work, and price. I cannot afford to wash Skylar’s long hair with only certified vegan conditioner. That would be a $20 a week habit. She gets Herbal Essences or whatever is on sale.

    I try to do my best, but there is always more than can be done, with everything.

    I love how conscious you are and have become, Gena. It’s wonderful! I think your coat looks awesome and as long as you like it, and it keeps you warm, and you are happy with the rationale behind your purchase, that’s what matters!

    And yes, it’s easier to buy conventional in most aspects of life from selection/availability to price to “cute” factor…we all just have to do what we can do.

    Best of luck on those tests! 🙂

    • FYI, there are some quite cheap shampoos out there and I should know as I have LONG hair! You can buy in bulk and get it down quite a bit. I spend no more than $40 a year on hair products.

  28. that coat is actually pretty cute, and when it comes to NYC winter weather, sometimes looking stylish doesnt even matter when the sensation of your extremities is at stake. at least thats how i felt… 🙂 anyway, thanks for the links (i hope to never have to use them though)

  29. thanks for reminding people once again that veganism is more than just what you eat. it’s pretty near impossible to avoid every single animal product in everything we buy, but we can avoid the major ones with a bit of effort and research.

  30. Finding down-free warm stuff can be annoying for sure. But stores like Land’s End, as you mentioned, and L L Bean are carrying more and more synthetic options these days. I’m pretty confident that as technology progresses we will soon have a material that is warmer, cheaper, and more compact than down, and down will be phased out naturally.

  31. This was a fascinating read for me. I’m not vegan, although I’m moving closer and closer to that way of eating, and I had no idea that there are issues of vegan-ness and animcal ethics in clothing like this. (I mean, I knew about leather, and fur, but those are obvious!) Thank you for the lesson, Gena 🙂

  32. Ohhh, great post! I have yet to conquer the vegan clothing frontier either. In fact, I put off buying new slippers this year because I didn’t want to get sheepskin (poor sheep) and I can’t find a good vegan alternative. Good for you for doing the research. Now you can brave the cold with a peaceful mind and heart. 🙂

  33. I’m a relatively new vegan and this hasn’t come up for me yet, but it’s good to know that the above options are out there and are stylish as well as affordable. I’ll be replacing my coats soon and will keep this in mind. I do have an easy time finding faux leather jackets, but it’s the puffy coats that seem the most confusing!

  34. Wow – some of those jackets look great! Mine just bit the dust this year, also due to the darn zipper! As in your case, it was going to cost more to replace the zipper (or so the tailors claimed) than was worth it for an old, tattered jacket. Thanks for spotlighting these vegan options!